


A Wolf In an Impostor's Clothing

by lolo289



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cora's Backstory, Cora-Centric, Eventual Cora/Scott, F/M, It Might Take a While
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-01 18:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2782529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolo289/pseuds/lolo289
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cora comes back to Beacon Hills with her brother and is begrudgingly thrown into the world of American High schoolers. Hopefully, she can navigate it without any more supernatural boomerangs being thrown her way, and maybe make a friend or two. Set Post 3x12, Pre 3x13.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fresh Start

__

            Their brother-sister road tip had been surprisingly, more enjoyable than expected.  Obviously, the first few days were awkward. Both of them knowing that they needed to have a serious conversation about each other’s whereabouts the last six years,  but each of them avoiding that dreaded conversation for the first few days while they figured out where they were headed,  and playfully bantered about when to rest, and what should be played on the radio. Derek tried the “It’s my car, my rules” routine, but he didn’t resist Cora’s pleads to listen to her favorite stations-which was unexpectedly pop music stations. But eventually they came to a stop at a nice hotel and could no longer bicker in the car. Yet, their “catch up” conversation of the last six years ended up being a lackluster one.

            Derek and Laura had been living in New York since the fire. They lived comfortably in a spacious loft in Manhattan. Laura found work as a successful art dealer, and Derek finished school and became an EMT. Cora got in contact with a beta who had ties in South America, and she went there where she thought she was safe. Rumors circulated about a Hale pack, so Cora went back to Beacon Hills. It was simple as that. Although, telling Cora about how he inadvertently contributed to the fire though his relationship with Kate Argent wasn’t particularly something that went smoothly.

            And now their road trip was over. They settled in back at the loft and Cora retreated to her room to unpack. She was a simple person, Cora wasn’t exactly interested in being girly, and she never had. She didn’t have many articles of clothing, just essentials that matched. She didn’t do posters, and she wasn’t a fan of decorating. But she had taken some pictures of the landscapes she came across while on her cross country voyage, and decided to display them on her dresser and nightstand. She began playing music on the fancy new stereo system her brother had bought her on their way back into town-a gift she reminded him _he_ didn’t really buy her, as technically she was entitled to some of the Hale House insurance money also.

            A soft knock interrupted her private thoughts as she was hanging her clothes up.

            “Come in,” she groggily called out. She had only now realized how tired she was from their expedition.    

            Derek opened the door, his face seeming defensive, almost hard, as if he didn’t want to crack.

            “So, I’m assuming you’ll be going to Beacon Hills High now that we’re back. You want to go tomorrow and get your classes straightened out?”

            No wonder why Derek’s face was so hard. Obviously, whether Cora wanted to or not, going to high school was non-negotiable to Derek. Not that she would have rejected the idea, but she didn’t really like being told what to do. And being surrounded by half-witted teenagers wasn’t exactly her idea of fun.

            “Might as well. At least if I’m at school I can make sure Scooby and the gang don’t get their sorry little selves into too much trouble with the supernatural,” Cora responded with a heavy sigh, and an even heavier eye-roll.

            Derek ignored Cora’s harsh comment about Scott and the pack. “That isn’t why I want you in school. You need to be normal.”

            Cora looked up from the clothes she was folding, and up at her brother. His face had softened from when he first entered the room. His eyes weren’t as sharp. They were almost pleading.

            “So we came back to Beacon Hills to be normal? Really Derek?” The arch in Cora’s eyebrow must have reached the ceiling.

            “It was our home. I’m not sure it ever stopped being our home. So, why not at least try and re-establish our home? Besides, Laura and I both went to Beacon Hills High, despite being wolves. High school is the same everywhere. Catty girls, jocks, nerds, parties. That’s all normal stuff.”

            “Yeah, and so are teenaged werewolves, human sacrifices, kanimas and banshees.”

            Derek let out a soft sigh. “Look, it won’t be that bad. Just go and finish high school. You shouldn’t have much longer. You went to school in Colombia. After you graduate, you can figure out what you want to do.”

            “Relax Der, I’ll go. I’m just messing with you.”

            Derek crossed the room in two long strides and ruffled Cora’s hair. “You haven’t grown up much little sister,” he chuckled.

            “Ugh Derek, don’t be all sentimental and crap. I’ll end up vomiting all over the place and I just want to sleep,” Cora complained with a face of disdain, but Derek could tell she wasn’t totally opposed to his brotherly behavior. It was something she had missed the last six years. Derek did spoil her when she was little. And it was nice to see her brother no brood as much as he had been during their debacle with the Darach and the Alpha Pack.

            “Alright, get some sleep. We’re going to the high school in the morning. Night”

            “Night Derek.”

            Derek exited the room and shut Cora’s door tightly. She quickly finished unpacking and fell back onto her bed. After setting her alarm on her phone, she fell into a dreamless sleep, knowing that’s soon, she would have nights full of textbooks and studying.


	2. Proficient in What?

It turned out that Cora couldn't exactly just drop in to the high school and begin classes. Beacon Hills High School had a protocol for new students. Who knew? Beacon Hills was actually prepared something. Cora laughed at the idea.

“So Cora, all we need is your transcripts and your proficiency test results and as soon as those are all in we can place you in your classes and get your schedule figured out. Sound good?”

Principal Marks was an average sized man, maybe slightly overweight, and slightly balding at the top of his head. The walls of his office were lined with his various degrees in education, and his desk was lined with picture frames. ‘Must be all of his family,’ Cora presumed.

“Yeah, I’ll get the transcripts sent over. When do I take the proficiency test? And why do I need a test if you’re getting my transcript?” The whole thing seemed silly to Cora. It was like she was getting the run around just to take some classes and graduate. It was just Beacon Hills High; she wasn't trying to get into an Ivy League high school.

“Well we have students take the test to see how they would fare in classes at this school. Your transcripts are more a reflection of how you did at your previous high school. All high schools are different, and yours is probably extremely different, as I understand it was out of the country. Correct?”

At this point, Cora had a full out scowl across her face. This principal was too nice. Too caring. He seemed to spineless. The type of person who gets pushed around. His voice was too high, his face too bright. No one should ever be that happy.

“Yes, Cora was away for quite some time. Family reasons,” Derek interjected. The last thing he needed was Cora having an unnecessary outburst toward the principal who was nice enough to let Cora drop into the high school with no questions asked. And he didn’t need her to be under the man’s radar before her first official day of classes.

“Aah, I understand. Oh, to answer your other question Cora, you may take the proficiency test whenever you like, even today if that works. All I need is to get you a proctor, and many teachers have off periods to supervise you. The test should be about two to three hours.”

Geez, Beacon Hills High really had lost their minds. A three hour proficiency test? These people acted like Einstein himself walked the halls.

“I can take it now,” Cora responded. Her face was stoic, trying not to scrunch up more than she already had. She’d rather just get it over with than have to come back unnecessarily.

“Great, I’ll get a teacher who can set you up in a classroom,” Marks said cheerily. He then exited his office.

Both Derek and Cora were seated in front of the desk. Cora was slouched in her seat; legs crossed, and combat boots adorning her feet. If her facial expression could speak for itself, it would probably spell out: “I do not have time for this.”

“Try not to come off any more delinquent than you already have, ok?” Derek’s voice was stern, somewhat cold. He looked over at Cora with a solemn face. Mouth tight, eyebrows arched  high.

“Relax Derek. The last thing I’m trying to do is seem like a criminal. I really did want to know if they offered mixed martial arts classes. Everyone should know how to kick ass.”

Cora knew she could get under her brothers skin. She just liked to pull his leg. Derek looked back at Cora once more, face unchanging.

Principal Marks entered the room again. “I’ve found you a proctor Miss Hale. Luckily her schedule is clear most of the day, so we won’t have to trade off proctors after each class period,” he seemed delighted that everything was just falling into place in his trivial orbit.

But in Cora’s world, her orbit was suddenly shifted. Her proctor couldn't be some lonely math teacher with s few hundred cats. Or the overly excited drama teacher who never made it to Broadway, Of course not. It had to be Marin Morrell, right in the doorway.

“Hello Cora. I’ll be supervising your proficiency exam today. Don’t worry too much, it shouldn't be incredibly stressful,” she said with a smile. Cora couldn't tell if she was being condescending, or ridiculously nice for the purpose of not seeming like she was completely nuts in front of Principal Marks. If only he knew what Morrell did outside of school.

Either way, Cora didn't like her. 

* * *

 

Cora sat a spacious desk in a chemistry classroom. Two number two pencils were placed in front of her, along with her exam booklet. The room was a little chilly, but to a wolf, the temperature was just right. She could tell from the weather that fall was quickly approaching. Halloween would be right around the corner. It was always her favorite holiday.

“Okay Cora. Your exam is split into four parts. English, Comprehension/Literature, Mathematics, and Mixed Sciences: Some Biology, some chemistry, and some anatomy and physics. You will have three full hours to complete the exam. Bubble the corresponding answers to each question in your answer booklet. Take your time. If you need to leave the room, for the bathroom or water just let me know. I’ll be right at the front.”

Morrell circled Cora’s desk as she spoke. Her high heels clicked leisurely as she walked at a slow pace. When she turned her back to Cora and retreated to the front of the room, it took much of Cora’s restraint not to attack. Cora couldn’t exactly pin what it was. She knew she didn’t trust Morrell for being the emissary to the Alpha Pack, but it was more than that. Cora had an actual dislike for Morrell. Maybe it was how her voice was so even, or how her eyes seemed like she could know everything about someone by just talking to them. Or maybe it was her consistently mug facial expression. Cora loathed her.

With a sigh, Cora began her exam, keeping note of the time. Ten-thirty a.m. She had until one-thirty, meaning she could still get back to the loft and have time to contact her last school and get her transcripts sent over.

With a sigh, she turned to the first page of her exam booklet, and began.

* * *

 

At twelve o’clock when Cora exited the classroom, Derek didn’t know whether to be nervous, or proud. He was questioning instead.

“Did you even try?” He interrogated, seeming somewhat disappointed in Cora.

“Trust me, I didn’t have to. I would have been out of there half an hour sooner if I didn’t have to write that short essay on one of my favorite pieces of literature. This place has no standards for education. Honestly, they asked me questions for equations that I had been solving when I was thirteen. And the English section was a complete joke. Mom did teach us Latin, remember?”

Derek’s expression softened. How could he forget? His mother had been grooming Laura to be the Hale Pack Alpha whenever she stepped down, and part of Laura’s duties would be communicating with other packs from other nations. Since Laura had to speak multiple languages, so did Cora and Derek. The reference to their life before the fire was a strong wave of nostalgia for Derek. In New York, he and Laura didn’t like to mention their past. Obviously, it wouldn’t faze Cora.

“Yeah. You always were the family nerd too,” Derek commented with a slight smile.

“Whatever, let’s just get out of here. I want to work out. And do we have food in the fridge? If not, I want a cheeseburger. And fries. And a milkshake. Chocolate,” Cora demanded while hopping into the Land Rover.

“If I knew you were going to have this many demands I would have left you in Dallas,” Derek playfully quipped.

“Get real Derek. You can’t shake me,” Cora retorted feet sliding onto the dashboard, while her brother put his keys in the ignition and pulled out of the high school’s parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! remember, if I'm not updating enough for you here, this story is also on fanfiction.net with the same username and story title. Also, please follow me on tumblr: teenwolfthoughtsandrants.tumblr.com
> 
> Always review too! Thanks so much for your comment Meeko_Valentine!


	3. Back to School Again Pt 1

“Cora have you ever heard the term ‘Gifted & Talented’?”

Cora was back in the principal’s office. It had been two days since she took her placement test, and the high school had received her transcripts. She and her brother were back in their places as they were during their first visit. Cora’s unmistakable look of “I really don’t care,” shifted to slight confusion.

“Like advanced super nerds? Yeah I knew a few in Colombia. Why?”

Principal Marks revealed a smile, one that Cora found irritating. It was as if he was delivering Cora some news that he found impeccable. Cora knew she would not.

“Well, according to the state of California, and Beacon Hills High School standards, you are definitely gifted. You scored a 98.7% on your placement test, only missing two questions in the Mixed Sciences category. Everything else was a perfect, and everyone in the English department agreed that your short essay was beyond satisfactory. One even said that your essay was better than the majority of most research papers she receives when students are given weeks to execute, and you did yours with an extremely short time frame. And if I have translated your transcript right, you have been taking classes that are considered university level. And your scores in all of your classes are beyond satisfactory.” Marks beamed in delight.

“So what now? I take some honors classes here?” Cora wanted Marks to get to the point. Was she going to start class today or not? She could feel her brother tense up in the chair beside her, probably because of her harsh tone. She reminded herself to cool it; she didn’t need Derek breathing down her neck.

“Well Cora, despite that you have just recently turned seventeen, which would usually make you a junior, we think it would be best to place you in senior level honors classes and see how you do for a few weeks. If you feel uncomfortable in any of your classes, we can switch any of them out for lower level courses. But, we don’t think it’s necessary to hold you back academically because of your age.”

Cora sighed. “So basically I’m a super nerd?”

Derek harshly interjected, “So how does this affect Cora graduating? Would it happen this year? She needs to apply for college now?” Derek’s tone was rising with each word. His body tightened up and Cora could feel the anxiety rushing off of his body; she could smell it. His shoulders stiffened, and Cora wondered why he was suddenly so freaked out.

‘Well Mr. Hale, Cora does have some options here. Technically, Cora does need to take few electives courses to graduate, for Beacon Hills High School standards, not the states. Each of them one semester long. If she wants, she can take all of the required courses she needs to graduate this year, and her elective courses can be waived. This would also mean that Cora would only need to attend about a half day of school each day. Or we can spread out Cora’s required courses for graduation and fill in her schedule with electives. That would put her at a junior status and she would attend a full day of school every day. She would also have some wiggle room for senior year, meaning she could finish her required courses early and only attend one semester if she would like. Or she could continue to take electives and go a full year. This would also mean that Cora would apply to college next year.  Regardless of either option, we would like to start Cora off in the Advanced Level Senior courses.”

Suddenly, Cora felt overwhelmed. Of course she was smart; she always had top marks in all of her classes. Her family always called her the little genius. But this was not what she expected. She thought she would be surrounded by jocks and mean girls in her classes, and now she would be near a bunch of pocket-protecting geeks. And why was Derek asking about college? The deal was that she would go to high school. She never said she felt like going to college.

“I’ll take the short route. Just put me in all the required stuff now,” She didn’t feel like contemplating anymore, and she’d rather get school over with while she could. What was the use in dragging it out if she didn’t need to?

“Actually I think I prefer the second option. You need time to adjust, Cora,” her brother interrupted. Cora narrowed her eyebrows at him, she was livid. She agreed to go to high school, and now Derek though he could just make all the decisions? No way.

“You heard him Derek. I don’t need the electives. Why drag it out?” Her voice was firm as she looked over at Derek accusingly.

Principal Marks’ eyes shifted between the two siblings on the verge of a feud. He found it to be uncomfortable and unfitting if he added any personal input, therefore he stood up and diffused the tension with “Well, how about I give you two a few minutes to talk? I’ll just be with my secretary going over some plans for the Winter Formal.” He exited the room as quickly as possible, trying to avoid the crosshairs of the pair.

“What’s your deal?” Cora spat out as soon as she head the door shut. She was absolutely furious that Derek was telling her what to do. She had gone six years without him, he didn’t need to butt in and handle her. He didn’t need to boss her around now. She looked out for herself just fine the last six years.

“Look, I think you need to try and be normal. Make some friends in your class. Give yourself some time. Besides, you need some time to pick a college. It’s already the beginning of October.” Derek was trying to be firm. But he wanted Cora to understand what being a senior meant. She was rushing things that usually take some time. Besides, for the most part, he enjoyed high school, despite some tragedies, so why shouldn’t Cora?

“Who said I was going to college? I sure as hell didn’t. And I’m not here to make friends. I’m here because you asked me to go to high school. I said I would, so I am. I didn’t know it also included you sticking yourself into my business. I’m doing what you asked, now leave me alone.” Cora was fuming at this point at her brother. Her face had twisted into an ugly snarl, and she could feel her claws itching to get out from underneath her skin.

“Oh you’re going to college, but we can discuss that later. And your business is my business. You’re my sister. If you didn’t want me involved in your life then you shouldn’t have tried to find me. So here’s what were going to do. This semester, you’ll do a full day of school. The advanced classes and some electives. Next semester if you still don’t want to do that, we’ll talk to Principal Marks about it, okay?” Derek’s tone was still firm, but now it had some compassion. It was less bossy, and more brotherly. Cora figured she should just give in. There was no use arguing.

“Fine,” she huffed out. Her arms were crossed tightly and she wanted to get away and just start her first day in Hades, aka, high school already.

Principal Marks entered the room and Derek relayed the news to him. Marks agreed to the plan with no objections.

“Well Cora, I can have the secretary put a schedule together for you and all of your books and you can start today. Let me know if there’s anything you need, okay?” 

Cora could tell the concern was genuine, but let’s be honest, she would never ask anyone for help. Extra people just weighed her down. She could figure things out herself.

“Yeah sure,” she replied as non-sarcastic as possible. She, Derek, and Principal Marks all stood and exited the room. She and Derek went to the secretary’s desk as the Principal went off to do whatever his job was after he spoke the to the old lady secretary. Within a few minutes everything was squared away and she was ready to be sent off into the abyss of pitiful teens.

“Okay honey, I’ll grab a student to show you around to all of your classes, let m just see one who has most of the same ones as you,” the old woman said from behind her desk. Her hair was a mix of salt and paper and the skin of her face was drooping with age. Her glasses sat right at the end of her nose and she smelled of peppermint. When she smiled at Cora, she could tell it was authentic. But then again, she was an old lady; there was for reason for her to be catty.

Once again, to Cora’s irritation, Derek interjected. “Thank you miss, but we have it covered. A friend of ours will be here in a minute, he’s a student.” Derek let out a big toothy grin to the old woman, knowing she would blush. Cora rolled her eyes, he was so cocky. Wait, what friend? She looked at her brother, perplexed. The old woman grinned back and let out a small “alright dears.”

And to Cora’s surprise, Isaac Lahey walked through the doors of the office, looking as cocky as he always did.

“Hey Derek, Cora. You ready for me to show you around?” His grin was wide, and his teeth shined like a perfect set of pearls.

“Yup, all finished here. Thank you miss,” Derek said as he gave the old woman another smirk and even throwing in a wink as he grabbed half of Cora’s book off the countertop, while Cora got the other half and her schedule, following Isaac out of the room and into the hallway.

They walked in silence to Cora’s locker, and Derek helped her fit in whatever he held in his hands.

“Look, just try it ok. If anything happens, call me. Both of you. I’ll be at the loft.” With that, Derek left.

Isaac looked down at Cora, who he had just noticed was much shorter than him. “Well, you want to get to class now? Homeroom is over in about a minute, so second period starts in five,” he offered to her.

Cora couldn’t read Isaac’s face. He seemed like he wanted to help her, but she couldn’t tell if it was because he actually wanted to, or if he was obligated to because Derek said so.

“You don’t have to help me. I can read the numbers on the doors; it shouldn’t be that hard to find my classes.” Her tone was flat. Stern enough so that Isaac knew she didn’t need him, but even enough to not sound haughty.

Isaac chuckled. “Yeah, I figured you could read pretty well since you’re in all the advanced nerd classes. Come on, our classes are right across from each other.” He took off and Cora followed suit.

“I saw that we don’t actually have any classes together, but you have Advanced Calculus with Lydia. You also have Art with her and Allison. We all have the same lunch period so I’ll find you then. ”

“Perfect, I’ve got classes with The Screamer and the princess version of Lara Croft,” she mumbled out.  “And who is “we”?

Isaac let out another light laugh. Lydia and Allison are both pretty nice. “By ‘we,’ I mean myself, Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison.”

Isaac came to a halt in front of a classroom door. “This is it. If you get lost or anything, Derek put my number in your cell, so just text me.” He smiled at her.

For whatever reason, Cora shriveled inside when he looked at her. Surely, she had some seen her fair share of boys out in Colombia, but Isaacs grin was one she had never experienced. She shook her thoughts away.

“Yeah sure, thanks,” she spat out hurriedly. Smile still on his face, Isaac began to walk across the hall to his class, while Cora stepped into the door of hers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Read and Review :)


	4. Back to School Again Pt 2

 

Gosh high school was lame. It wasn’t even that it sucked. It was just flat out lame. At least that’s how Cora felt by her third period class. Since she had missed her Art class, she only made it to her Advanced Literature and Calculus classes. Honestly, “Great Expectations” was considered advanced level reading? She scoffed at the thought. By her second year of high school in Colombia, she had already read much more complex novels. Whatever, this should be a breeze then, she thought to herself. Her Calculus class was no more challenging. The teacher had posted the homework on the board before class had started so she finished all fifteen questions within the first half hour of his lecture. Honestly, why was Derek making her drag high school out again? It was seriously a waste of her time.

She actually sat next to Lydia for that period. They didn’t speak, just cordial “hello’s” to one another. What did they have to speak about? Sure they worked together during the whole Darach mess. Especially when they got the twins to Deaton’s office. But that was it. They weren’t friends. They didn’t have any common interests. They were strictly cordial. At least that’s what Cora thought.

“So, why exactly are you here?” Lydia whispered to Cora, staring intently. As if she was studying her.

Cora was slightly taken aback, but recoiled quickly. “It’s high school. I’m seventeen. What’s it to you?” Her left eyebrow rose. She didn’t appreciate being questioned. She didn’t answer to others.

“I just figured you went back home… to wherever it was you came from. You and Derek were gone for a while.” The red head shrugged. She went back to listening to their teacher’s lecture. Now it was Cora’s turn to stare intently. What the hell is she getting at? They were silent the rest of class.

The bell rang and Cora was lost in the throng of teenagers as she entered the hallway. She now was at her lunch break so she went to her locker to retrieve her meal. When she got there, Isaac was waiting. Cardigan and all. Really? It was chilly, but he was a werewolf. The cardigan was not necessary.

“How’s it going?” There was the grin again. So bright and white it was blinding.

“This place is dull. I’m over it,” she grumbled out while grabbing her lunch out of her locker and throwing the rest of her books in. He chuckled. “Come on, I need to eat to have more energy for this boring hell hole.”

* * *

 

Lunch was where things were predictable. Just like the movies. Jocks sat at one table. Nerds in the corner. Snobs in the center. The list went on and on. Naturally the “pack” sat in an awkward spot, right away from the stereotypes, yet still in the middle of the hodgepodge of high schoolers.

She suddenly felt weird about having to sit with them. They weren’t her pack. They definitely weren’t her friends. She was pretty sure Isaac was only speaking to her because Derek forced him. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted friends, it had been so long since she had any. Her pack in Colombia definitely treated her well, but she would never say they were her _friends_.

“Hey guys, Cora goes to school here now. She has classes with some of us too, but she’s in mostly nerd classes,” Isaac greeted the pack with his usual grin. Cora didn’t appreciate the introduction. She offered those sitting at the table a tight smile. She wasn’t too comfortable with the situation.

At the end of the table was Scott, and beside him was Stiles. Lydia sat across from Scott, making Allison, who was beside her, across from Stiles. Isaac plopped down beside Allison, and Cora took her seat beside him.

“So, you’re here to stay now?” Stiles asked with his mouth full of bologna sandwich. Lydia scoffed at him.

“Yeah, I mean it was my home when I was younger. And Derek wanted to stay too, so I figured why not?” Cora replied with a slight shrug.

“So what classes are you taking?” Allison asked leaning in to the table, turning her head toward Cora. She wore a friendly smile on her face. Cora received it cautiously.

“Art, Advanced Literature, Calculus, and Biology, and PE.”

“Wow, you do have nerd classes” Stiles said with a perplexed expression.

“Thanks” Cora responded dryly.

“Cora’s actually supposed to be in your Art class,” Isaac said to Lydia and Allison, “she was late today though.”

“Oh well, that should be interesting. We’re painting abstracts right now. It’s an easy class,” Lydia said.

“Good, I’m not really into putting too much effort into an elective.”

Throughout the entire conversation, Scott remained silent. His eyes were focused on Cora intently. He wasn’t hanging onto her every word though. He was analyzing her. Her pitch. Her body language. Her expressions. It creeped Cora out a little. If he had something to say, he needed to spit it out. Not examine her like a piece of raw meat to a lion.

“When do you have PE with Finstock? Scott and I have it last,” she heard Stiles say.

“Uhh yeah, so do I,” Cora responded. The bell rang throughout the halls, signaling to the students that they had five minutes to get to class.

“Awesome! Hey we’ll see you there.” With that, each teenager stood and began to retreat to their respective classrooms and lockers. Cora was rounding the hall to her biology class when her ears picked up on something interesting.

“Look, I’m not saying don’t talk to her. I’m saying to be careful. We don’t know anything about Cora except for her being Derek’s sister. We have no idea where she’s been, or if she’s trustworthy.” It was Scott. His voice was a rushed whisper. He was anxious Alert.

“Buddy, I get it. But honestly, I think if Derek’s little sister was up to any funny business, he would have picked up on it by now. And I doubt he would have brought her back if she was. Ease up a little. Besides she’s another teenager with a strong affiliation to the supernatural. We need her as an ally and not an enemy. I’m just being friendly. And you’re an alpha. You need more wolves in your pack. You may want her to help your pack dynamic be stronger or whatever, you know?”

“I get it, but I don’t even know how this pack stuff works. Can she even be in my pack if I didn’t bite her? Isn’t she an omega? Like the twins?” Scott questioned Stiles hurriedly.

“So ask Deaton. Or Derek. But even if she can’t be technically apart of your pack, you might still need her. She’s obviously a Lydia-status brainiac, and you said your grades were starting to slip again since the whole Darach incident. A tutor may not kill you.”

“Yeah man you’re right.”

“I usually am.” Cora could hear Stiles’ cheeky grin, as their footsteps began to grow faint as they walked to class.

So that was the problem. Scott didn’t trust her. It made sense. No one in Beacon Hills ever really was who they appeared to be. Most of the minors were unstable teens with supernatural connections, and the adults were usually psychotic villains who the teens had to fight. Regardless, Cora wasn’t about to kiss Scott’s butt just so he could trust her. She didn’t have anything to hide, and she wasn’t in dire need of his friendship, or anyone else’s. He would figure all that out for himself.

* * *

Gosh PE was great. Cora had first assumed she would be confined to some smelly gym running laps or playing volleyball. Instead, they ran a trail behind the school that led into the woods. It was perfect. The air was getting thin because the weather was getting cooler. When it invaded her lungs she felt fresh and in her element. She always loved to run. It was freeing. Simple. Not complicated.

She was jogging at a brisk pace, absorbing her surroundings, when Stiles caught up with her.

“Having fun?” he asked.

“Sure, its not so bad. I like to run” She was blunt in tone. She didn’t like anyone to mess up her pace by distracting her.

“I meant your first day,” stiles huffed out. He obviously wasn’t used to the pace. Pathetic.

“Oh. It’s fine. Nothing spectacular. It’s just school,” she replied blandly.

“Good,” he responded. He was silent for the rest of the run, but remained beside he until class was over.

Before she entered the locker room to get changed, Stiles pulled her to the side.

“We were all going to see a movie tomorrow night. It looks like a stupid one. Like Zombie Pirahanna Part Six or something. Anyways, you want to join us? We’ll probably get ice cream later too.” He had a glint in his eye. Like he was planning something. It was mischievous. Cora didn’t trust it.

“I’ll think about it. Thanks for the invite,” she responded before heading off to change.

* * *

 When she stepped outside the school doors, she saw her brother waiting for her in his truck.

“How’d it go?” He asked her expectantly, seeming a little nervous. He was probably shocked she lasted a whole day with no calls from th principal for assaulting someone.

“It’s whatever. It’s school. Classes are easy. I may as well keep going since it isn’t incredibly annoying.” Cora shrugged and placed her feet on the dashboard.

“Good then. Feet off the dash,” he ordered.

“I hope you have something in mind for dinner. I’m tired of take out and pizza,” she said.

“Yeah, yeah. I have chicken in the oven. I looked it up”

“The fact that you had to look up how to cook a chicken shows how helpless you are. Jeez you sound spoiled.” Cora scoffed.

“Whatever. Just be glad I cooked anything,” he responded with a smirk and the sped out of the high school parking lot toward the loft.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This story is much more up to date on fanfiction.net. I mainly just post here for more publicity, but here's the deal: review my story by Wednesday 4/8 and I'll be sending you a sneak peek of the next chapter which will be going up Saturday 4/11. You can review either here or on fanfiction.net. :D  
> Please review with actual suggestions or ideas of where you would like the story to go.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction! I regularly update this story on Fanfiction.net under the same name (Pen name and title of the story) but I know a lot of the fan fiction side of the Teen Wolf fandom uses Archive of Our Own, so I decided to start posting here. If I get a good response from followers of the story on this site, then I will continue to update here. If not....well, I'll figure that out. 
> 
> Please R&R! I appreciate all feedback and suggestions.


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